PhD project: Gene regulation in human development

A PhD project studying gene regulation in human organoids is available in the laboratory of Dr. Fiona Wardle (https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/wardle-group) in the Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London. 

Our laboratory focusses on the networks of gene regulation that control cell fate decisions during early development of the vertebrate embryo. We use a combination of approaches to study gene regulation including cell biology, molecular biology, genomics, and computational biology in a variety of systems including zebrafish and mammalian stem cells and are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic candidate with a background in stem cell biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and/or developmental biology for this project. There is currently no funding attached to this PhD position – see Funding notes below.

Project: This project aims to characterise genomic cis-regulatory elements responsible for regulating gene expression in human models of early development and organ formation. Other models of development, such as zebrafish, will also be used to test conservation of function. The selected candidate will gain experience in stem cell and organoid culture, genome editing (CRISPR/Cas9), molecular biology, developmental biology, microscopy and bioinformatics.